Bruno Jl Pitton

Bruno Pitton is the University of California Cooperative Extension Environmental Horticulture Advisor for Placer and Nevada Counties.

Previously, he worked in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of California in Davis, administering a grant-funded research and extension program for California’s nursery and greenhouse industry. Bruno has over twenty years of experience in Environmental Horticulture, beginning with his undergraduate education at UC Davis.

While an undergraduate student, he worked at the UC Davis Student Farm and the Arboretum Teaching Nursery. After graduation, he was employed in operations at the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences’ research greenhouses and teaching gardens. In the greenhouses, he oversaw integrated pest management, irrigation, and fertilizer programs for plant science research. He managed the teaching gardens and educated students in all aspects of landscape maintenance from urban forestry to perennial propagation and planting.

While working in the CA&ES greenhouses and teaching gardens, he conducted research on residential irrigation runoff with UCCE Environmental Horticulture Specialist Dr. Loren Oki and received an MS in Horticulture and Agronomy. In 2015, he began working full-time with Dr. Oki on a nationwide research project to develop online decision support tools for helping nursery and greenhouse growers reuse their irrigation runoff water. He collaborated with two California nurseries to understand irrigation application and runoff patterns and with academics to develop cleanwater3.org. He secured over $600,000 in funding for his PhD research on nitrogen management in nursery production to help growers meet state regulations, increase nitrogen use efficiency, and reduce the environmental impact of nitrogen loss.

After completion of his PhD, he conducted research to optimize nutrient application rates in the vegetable transplant industry and developed irrigation best management practice training for California’s underserved greenhouse and nursery staff to improve water-use efficiency and plant health.

Bruno is excited to be the UCCE Environmental Horticulture Advisor for Placer and Nevada Counties and wants to help improve the sustainability of the landscape and nursery industry while providing home gardeners with science-based solutions.